The document provides information on several major Asian religions including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto. It discusses the origins, basic beliefs, sacred texts, and other key aspects of each religion. The religions covered originate from different areas in Asia and have varying beliefs, but all have been historically and culturally influential in Asia.

1. Major Asian Religions
Major Asian Religions

2. Religions in the World

3. Religions in Asia

4. Islam

5. Origins
 Islam originated in the Middle East. It builds up on
Jewish and Christian traditions.
 The word Islam means both ―peace‖ and
―submission‖.
 Its followers are called Muslims, or ―one who
submits to the will of God‖.
 Mohammed received the revelation throughout 23
years, dictated by the archangel Gabriel. He
started preaching and Islam became a political as
well as religious movement.

6. God
 Islam believes in one
god: Allah.
 It is the same god
of Jews and
Christians.
 Muhammed believed
he was restoring the
faith of Abraham,
which Jews and
Christians had strayed
from.

7. After Muhammed
 The men who followed after Muhammed and saw
the expansion of his empire were called Caliphs.
 Several dinasties then ruled the Islamic Empire.
 The Muslim faith was divided into several sects:
 Sunni – orthodox theology;
dominant force within Islam.
 Shi’a – heavy emphasis on
the individual role of clerics;
the supreme leader is called
Imam.
 Sufi – the mystics of Islam;
seek union with God through
contemplation.

8. Basic Beliefs
 All events in life (both good and bad) are seen as a
trial from Allah for the life to come.
 They believe in a reckoning with Allah, for the
choices and actions undertaken in a single human
life.
 On the Day of Judgment, Allah will decide whether
individuals will go to Paraside or Hell.
 Devout Christians and Jews can attain paradise as well.
 Death is not because of our sins (original sin), but
simply a reality that brings us back to our Creator.
 Muslims must follow the example of the Prophet.

9. The Five Pillars
 Shahadah
 ―There is no God but God and Muhammed is His prophet‖
 La ilaha ila Alah, Mohammed rasul Alah
 Salat
 Five daily prayers facing the Mecca
 Zakat
 Charity towards those in need
 Ramadan
 Fasting on the ninth month of the Muslim calendar
 Hajj
 Pilgrimage to the Mecca

10. Sacred Texts
 Islam teaches social and personal codes or conduct
through:
 Qur’an: the holy book
 Sharia’ah: the Law
 Sunnah: the prophet’s sayings

11. The Qur’an
 Dictated to Muhammed by the archangel Gabriel:
 Originally it was a verbal message, memorized and recited
by the prophet and his followers.
 Today, it is written in Arabic.
 This means all Muslims must learn Arabic in order to read
the Qur’an.
 It consists of 114 chapters, each divided into
surahs.
 Doctrinal messages
 Historical accounts
 ―Mystical expressions of sublime beauty‖

12. Misconceptions about
Islam
 Muslim [does not] equal Arab.
 ―Sword of Islam‖ forcibly [did not] impose Islam
on cultures conquered by the Muslim Empire.
 Jihad, [not] meaning all Muslims must engage in a
holy war against those who do not accept Islam.
 Jiahd means ―struggle‖ against the self first and
foremost.
 Islam [does not] degrade and oppress women.
 The Qur’an [does not] advocate the slaughter of
unbelievers or suicide attackers fighting for
Islam.

13. Hinduis

14. Origins
 Hinduism is the name given to a family of religions
and cultures that began and still flourish in India.
 The word "Hindu" comes
from the name of the river
Indus, which flows 1800
miles from Tibet through
Kashmir and Pakistan to
the sea.
 Hinduism has no founder,
no creed, and no single
source of authority.

15. God
 Belief in a single Divinity or supreme God that is
present in everything.
 Each soul is individual and also part of that
Divinity.
 Belief in other gods who are
aspects of that supreme Divinity.
 Major Gods:
• Brama the creator
• Vishnu the preserver
• Shiva the detroyer

16. Basic Beliefs
 For many Hindus, religion is a matter of practice
rather than of beliefs. It's more what you do than
what you believe.
 Belief that every soul is trapped in a cycle of
birth and then death and then rebirth. Their
ultimate aim is escape from the cycle altogether.
 This life, and this world, are only part of a
training process.
 Hindus believe the universe doesn't have a
beginning and an end. It's a cyclical pattern, so
once it ends, it begins again.

17. Basic Beliefs
 There are 4 legitimate goals in life
(purusharthas):
• dharma (appropriate living),
• artha (the pursuit of material gain by lawful means),
• kama (delight of the senses),
• moksha (release from rebirth).
 Each Hindu has 4 daily duties:
• Revere the deities
• Respect ancestors
• Respect all beings
• Honour all humankind

18. Samsara
 The quality of the next life depends on the soul's
Karma-the goodness or badness of their deeds in
this life.
 The eternal cycle of birth and rebirth is called
Samsara. The process of the soul being reborn into
a new body is called Reincarnation.
 Whether one is reborn into a better life, a worse
life, or even to live as an animal, depends on
Karma, which is the value of a soul's good and bad
deeds.
 The ultimate aim of Hindus is liberation.

19. Sacred
Texts
 Hinduism doesn't have a single scripture that is
regarded as uniquely authoritative.
 Vedas – sacred hymns said to have existed forever.
 Upanishads – mystical words
 Brahmans – ritual instructions
 Baghavad-Gita – sets out in story form the proper
way to behave and think.
Four paths to liberation:
• Throuh knowledge
• Through love
• Through work
• Through experimentation

20. Rituals
 Most Hindus worship
at home and have a
shrine there. Hindu
temples are the focus
of religious life, but
there is not a strong
tradition of corporate
congregational
worship.

21. Buddhism

22. Origins
 Buddhism has its origins in India.
 The founder of Buddhism was Siddharta Gautama, who
lived in India from approximately 563 to 483 BC.
 As a young man, Siddharta achieved an understanding of
the cause of suffering.
From then on, he was
known as the Buddha,
meaning ―the enlightened
one‖ or ―the one who is
awake‖.

23. God
 Buddhism has no
omnipotent, creator God
who exists apart from
this or any other
universe.
 Belief in a God of that
kind is not part of
Buddhism.

24. Basic Beliefs
 In his sermons, Siddharta taught the four main ideas
that he had understood in his enlightenment. He calles
those ideas the four noble truths.
• First – Everything in life is suffering and sorrow.
• Second – The cause of all suffering is people’s selfish desire for
the temporary pleasures of this world.
• Third – The way to end all suffering is to end all desires.
• Fourth – The way to overcome such desires and attain
enlightenment is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path, which is
called the Middle Way between desires and self-denial.
Following this path could lead to nirvana, release from
selfishness and pain.

25. Dukkha
 All existence is dukkha; without permanence and
therefore filled with suffering. This comes from a
search to find something permanent in a world where
nothing permanently exists.
 Life is a continuing process of birth and death, but the
soul remains. The form in which one is reborn, animal
or human, in heaven or in hell, depends on karma-
impersonal ethical law.
 One can escape from this process by attaining nirvana
or enlightenment.
 Enlightenment can be reached by following the
Eightfold Path.

26. The Eightfold
Path
 The Noble Eightfold Path is made up of the following:
• Right views
• Right aspirations
• Right speech
• Right conduct
• Right livelihood
• Right endeavor
• Right mindfulness
• Right meditation

27. Sacred Texts
 There are many collections
of Buddhist teachings,
usually specific to
geographical regions, that
are regarded as important.
 In addition to the Pali
canon, sutras, containing
the Buddha's advanced
teaching, are treasured by
Mahayana Buddhists.
 There is no text directly
written by Buddha.

28. Worship
 Statues of the Buddha appear in many forms and sizes
throughout Asia.
 Because of the idea that anyone can reincarnate in any
form (even animals or
insects) buddhists are
encouraged to respect
all forms of life.

29. Confucianism

30. Origins
 Originated in China, with the
teachings of Confucius.
 He lived in a time of great
turmoil in China and tried to
find a way for people to
achieve a better life.
 It is debatable whether
confucianism can be called a
religion.
 There is no worship of God.
 Confucianism can actually
coexist with many religions.

31. Basic Beliefs
 Cultivation of virtue is a central tenet of
Confucianism.
 Lǐ — ritual. This originally meant "to sacrifice." This refers
to proper behavior and following rituals.
 Xiào — filial piety, This was considered among the greatest
of virtues, and had to be shown towards both the living and
the dead.
 Zhōng — loyalty. Refering to the relationship between ruler
and minister.
 Rén — humaneness. the Confucian version of the Golden
Rule, which is phrased in the negative: "Do not do to others
what you would not like them to do to you."
 Jūnzǐ — the perfect gentleman. Those who cultivate
themselves morally and follow all proscriptions.

32. Social Order
 Society could have social order, harmony and good
government if it was organized around five basic
relationships:
 Ruler and Subject
 Father and Son
 Husband and Wife
 Older brother and Younger brother
 Friend and Friend
 A code of proper conduct regulates each of these
relationships.

33. Sacred Texts
 The teachings of Confucius
are contained in the
Analects, a collection of his
sayings as remembered and
recorded by his students.
 As this book is a compilation
of pieces of conversations,
questions and answers, or
slices of Confucius' life, there
is no account of a coherent
system of thought.
 The I Ching is a manual of divination for those
seeking guidance.

34. Taoism

35. Origins
 Also known as ―daoism‖.
 Based on the teaching of
Lao-Tzu.
 Tao literally means ―path‖
or ―the way‖.
 It has a rich history that
criss-crosses that of
Confucianism.
 There is no god;
Confucianism is more like a
philosophy of life.

36. Basic Beliefs
 The individual should seek the truth by means of a
patient, accepting focus on natural patterns.
 Practices like feng shui are designed to work with those natural
patterns.
 Rejects Confucian emphasis on social hierarchy.
 Emphasizes spontaneity and self-reliance. Rejects
calculated, goal-oriented efforts.
 Refrains from trying to influence political or social
institutions.

37. Sacred Texts
 Derives from the
Tao Te Ching.
 One of the most
moving and
sublime
achievements of
Chinese culture.

38. Shinto

39. Origins
 Indigenous, nature focused religion of Japan
that incorporates ancient mythological rites.
 The Emperor of Japan is regarded as a direct
descendant of Amaterasu (God).
 Shinto is completely assimilated into Japanese
day-to-day tradition and customs.
 It has no founder.
 Nature worhips; with reverence of nature
spirits.
 Kami – something possesing a power that an
individual believer does not have.

40. Basic Beliefs
 Emphasized harmony of natural beauty and a
poetic appreciation of reality.
 Natural events are considered to be
manifestations of heavenly energy within
Shinto.
 Core beliefs:
 Affirmation of family and tradition.
 Affirmation of reverence toward nature.
 Affirmation of physical cleanliness.
 Affirmation of matsuri, or festivals held in honor of
one or more kami.

41. Sacred Texts
 The mythological history
known as kojiki, or
―documents of ancient
matters‖.
 Deal with the ancient age
of spirits as well as court
proceedings, but they are
not considered inspired
writings of faith.